We Love Squad 1, but...

They do not love us back.

Well ... I'm sure they would if they could.

Here's the deal: there are two active fire "trucks" in the fire station on Whitney Ave. (More about "trucks" later.) Engine 8 is assigned to the East Rock neighborhood -- that is its "home" neighborhood.

Though Squad 1 "lives" in the same fire station, it is assigned to all of New Haven county.  And it has different equipment and different duties -- that's why it is a "Squad" and not an "Engine." 

Squad 1is the truck that is called out to respond to accidents on the freeway, for example, because it can do extrications.  And Squad 1, as the hazmat unit, is also called out for hazardous spills.  It has some of the same abilities to fight fires, but it does, and is supposed to do, a lot of other, specialized jobs.  It is not a fire engine (the primary function of which is pumping water onto a fire).

So the city tells that they can take out Engine 8 and Squad 1 will still be there to respond to fire emergencies.  Will Squad 1 be there for us?

Three quarters of Squad 1's calls take it outside the district.  So even if we love Squad 1 100%, they ain't gonna love us back more than 25%. 

Which is why the 10 fire stations in New Haven each have their own home fire Engine. 

Except for us, if they take Engine 8 away.

Another Neighborhood Fire Story

So have you thought of how lovely and historic these old Victorian houses are?  I totally agree. I love them. 

But I don't live in one. I live in a brick building. And I thought -- hey, it's made of brick. Not very flammable, right? So I'm feeling pretty safe.

But I was not aware of the construction details, especially of the interior walls.  So a neighbor today was telling me how they used to make the old walls -- it's a very clever old-fashioned construction of plaster and lathe (that's thin wooden strips) reinforced with horsehair.  And maybe some more horsehair bunched up in the cracks for insulation.  How resourceful and quaint -- from the time when horses were everywhere so hair from their tails really was a viable and efficient way to make insulation.

And it's true! Because once when I (accidentally, of course) knocked a fair-sized hole in the wall, I could see the wood strips and the horsehair.

But did you ever stop to think about the flame-retarding qualities of 100-year-old wood and hair?  The flame-retarding effectiveness is, in a word, zero.  In fact, the opposite.

So I'm thinking that there is a good reason to have a fire engine in the neighborhood. ...

The Scary Story My Neighbor Told Me

So some time after the fire truck had left (thank you, Engine 8), another neighbor came home.  And she told me this story:

Well, she said, of course you called the fire department.  Before I lived here, I lived in a three-family house.  And I had just moved in the week before, and one night I was coming home from work late. And I drove down the block and I couldn't recognize the house. I couldn't find it.

And I thought, it should be right there, but it can't be that house, the one with all the fire trucks in front of it.... But it was that house, the one with all the fire trucks in front of it.

So what had happened was the family on the first floor had a fire in a closet.  And as soon as they found it, they called the fire department.  And the fire engine came and put it out.

But in the time it took for them to get there, the fire had spread through the whole first floor. It was totally destroyed. Everything was absolutely black, in every room. The walls were black. The couch was black. Every single thing.

On the second floor, the floor was ruined and burned, but none of the furniture was burned.

And on the third floor, where I lived -- my neighbor said -- nothing was burned. But everything smelled like smoke.  And that's how fast the fire spread -- the family on the first floor was home when the fire started and they called the fire department right away. And the fire truck came right away, but the whole first floor still burned by the time they put the fire out.

So -- my neighbor said -- you were right to call the fire department when the alarm went off. Because you never know. And you can't afford to wait.

And as for me -- I'm glad, of course, that there wasn't a real fire today.  But living, as I do, where I'm dependent on the safety habits of all the people in the building (and the safety of wiring and building construction that is almost a hundred years old), I'm also glad I have a fire engine right in the neighborhood.

Well, I had to call the Fire Truck Today --

I had to call the fire truck today, and I felt pretty stupid, now that I'm more aware of how hard they work. 

What happened was that the fire alarm in my building went off, and I'd like to just ignore it, except that it seemed to be originating in the apartment right next to mine.  So I banged on my neighbor's front door (naturally), and on his back door, and checked all the windows, front and back. And then I banged on the front door and back door and all the windows again. But the apartment was sealed up tight.

Meanwhile, the fire alarm is ringing and ringing and ringing. 

And nobody can get in the apartment, and there's no sign of the owner, and I think: It's probably a false alarm.

But how will we know? 

And since it was right next to my apartment, and mine would be the first place a fire would spread to if there was a fire, and since the other neighbors were all standing around saying "Somebody should call the fire department" ....  I called.

So Engine 8 came, and the firemen pried open the window, climbed into the apartment, and luckily, it was a false alarm, and no harm done.

So, as I said, I felt pretty stupid. 

And then another neighbor came home and told me this story, which made me feel not so stupid after all.....

What do you pay in city property tax? And what do you get?

If you own a house or car registered in New Haven, you will be receiving a city property tax bill soon.  And you are already painfully aware of the steep property tax increases over the last three years -- even before the budget crisis this year caused by the recession and the heavy snowfall this winter.

If you are a renter with a car registered elsewhere, you may think you don't pay city property tax. You would be wrong.

As a renter, the city property tax is part of your rent. 

I figured out that about 25% of my rent bill each month went strictly to the city property tax.  That, combined with the property tax on my car, means that the city property tax I pay is about 10% of my gross household income. That is a very hefty bite.  And all my neighbors are paying that rate too.

Hey -- I realize we all have to pay taxes to make the city run. But it means I'm not really in the mood to accept a city decree that the fire engine that protects my neighborhood -- alone of all fire engines in the city -- is going to be eliminated.

East Rock is a wonderful, thriving neighborhood -- until it is bled dry by taxes to support services in the rest of the city, while its own services are cut.

Which City Fire Engine is the Least Used?

If the city claims they need to close a fire engine, shouldn't it be the one with the fewest calls in its district?

Can the city show calls for 2011, to demonstrate that Engine 8 isn't needed?

Which of the city's engines is the least busy?

(Hint: it's not Engine 8.)

The Only Fire House in New Haven without a Neighborhood Engine?

There are 10 fire houses in New Haven. Each one has a fire engine assigned to the local neighborhood.  If they close Engine 8, East Rock will be the only fire house in the city without an assigned neighborhood engine.

Is this because the neighborhood assigned to Engine 8 is smaller than the other city districts?

No. East Rock is one of the largest districts assigned to any fire house.

Is this because the neighborhood has fewer people that other city districts?

No. East Rock is one of the most densely populated districts in the city.

Is this because we pay less in property taxes than other neighborhoods? Or because we deserve to have fewer public safety services?

Is this because we don't need fire protection?

Hmmm. Perhaps we should think about this.

Squad 1 -- out again all day

My 31, 2011 -- Squad 1 was out training on live burns at the FD academy (across town) all day -- from 8:00am to 12:00 and again after lunch break from 1:00 to 4:00.

This is the truck that, supposedly, will be protecting you if Engine 8 is shut down.

(BTW, Engine 8 had a busy day that day and was called out to answer several calls in the neighborhood. So it's not like nothing happened while Squad 1 was away.)

So -- word up: if you are planning to have a fire, first check and make sure Squad 1 isn't out for training that day....